


Thirty Days to My Heart

by MiracAlice (AliceTheBookGirl)



Series: I Know You Know They Know [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April 2019, As will this list of tags, But all minor, By Adrien and Marinette, Chapters will gradually get longer, F/M, Friends to Crushes basically, Friends to Friends Who Crush On Each Other, Gen, Identities Known, Mainly Adrinette, Possible Identity Reveal to other people, Will have other Love Square corners probably, based off of, dunno yet, get ready for, i'm super late, oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-01-16 02:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18511843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceTheBookGirl/pseuds/MiracAlice
Summary: In the span of two days, Paris has become a city of super humans and mysteriously magical dangers. While Ladybug and Chat Noir learn to fight as a team and earn their fellow Parisians' trust, Marinette and Adrien slowly learn what it means to love each other, as friends...and maybe something more.





	1. First Day: Just Friends

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking at the Adrinette April prompts the other day and thought, "Oh, it would be fun to do these monthly themed prompts. I've never done these before." Next thing I know we're more than halfway through the month. But! I'm gonna do these anyway and see how well it goes. Wish me luck!

Play. 

_ “Hey everyone! It’s Alya here with a new scoop for you all! Right now I’m running down a street in the 12th arrondissement that leads to the Parc Floral de Paris, chasing a new curse—or as we’ve recently learned what they’re called, akuma.”  _

The screen went dark for a second before faint screaming and crashes grew louder and the picture showed a long demolished street. The screen moved up and down, due to the camera holder’s moving arms as she ran. 

A flash of red. 

_ “Alya?! You need to get out of here!”  _

_ “The spotted bug! It’s my lucky day!” _

The screen moved rapidly and suddenly showed a view from a rooftop. 

A male’s voice. 

_ “You won’t be lucky for very long if you keep this up. The purr-ks are not worth the risk.”  _

The camera stopped moving and finally settled on Ladybug and Chat Noir standing feet away, all of them atop a tall building. Ladybug grasped her yo-yo and spun it while Chat Noir lengthened his baton. 

_ “Stay out of trouble, Alya! You could get hurt. Let’s go Chat.”  _

They both turned away, ready to leap off the edge of the building. 

An arm appeared from the side of the camera view, reaching out to the duo. 

_ “Wait! Before you go, answer me this: what are your intentions with Paris?”  _

In sync, they each looked over their own shoulder. Ladybug smiled. 

Police sirens were heard and rapidly the sound grew louder. 

_ “To protect it.” _

The duo jumped. 

The camera shook wildly as the camera holder ran to the side of the roof but when the camera was steady again, they were gone. 

Pause. 

A long exhale. 

Shoulders relaxing discreetly. 

The faint touch of her hand on his forearm, hidden by their desk. 

“So? What do you two think?” 

Adrien smiled widely at Alya, who was leaning over Adrien and Marinette’s shared desk from her seat in the front row of the classroom. 

“That’s a really great video! I especially like how neutral you came across. You weren’t putting them down but you didn’t automatically assume they’re heroes.” 

Marinette leaned forward slightly, causing her hair to brush against Adrien’s shoulder. Based on the faint scent that appeared, she used…apple and orange scented shampoo this morning? 

“Despite how short it is, it really is an amazing video that I don’t even think news channels could get. But really Alya, what would you have done if they weren’t good people? What if they fought that akuma, saw you, and left you to fend for yourself?” 

Alya waved Marinette’s worries away. “But they didn’t. Besides, I have the utmost confidence that those two are heroes through and through. Did you see how badass they were?” 

Adrien chuckled as he watched Marinette shake her head in exasperation. 

“I’ve known you for, what, three days now? I can already tell you’re gonna be a stubborn one.” 

“Damn right, girl.” 

Nino turned around in his seat. “You’re not that much different, Marinette.” 

Adrien blinked in surprise. “Marinette? Stubborn?” He tilted his head in contemplation. 

Thinking back on his time knowing Marinette, he knew her to be initially indecisive and unsure, causing her to take the time to think through her actions (barring akuma fights where she made lightning quick plans). But when she made a choice, she stuck to it with a passion Adrien loved to watch. It was even better when he got swept up in her flurry of action and ended up joining. 

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, I can see that.” 

Marinette squawked in indignation. 

With a curious hum, Alya noted, “I thought you of all people would already know that, Adrien.” 

Pointing to himself, Adrien asked, “Me? Why me?” 

“Because you’re Marinette’s boyfriend,” Alya stated. “Right?” 

The high pitched whine coming from Marinette was the exact same sound Adrien wanted to make. His face grew warm and he noticed that Marinette was as red as he probably was. 

“We’re just friends!” they practically yelled. 

Alya blinked. “Oh. Okay.” She turned to Nino. “So give it to me straight. How long have these two been dancing around each other?” 

Nino shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Adrien joined our school same day as you. Marinette’s never mentioned him before.” 

Here, Alya did gape in surprise. “How long have you two known each other? You act like you’re soulmates!” 

Adrien had a feeling his blush wouldn’t be going away for a while. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I guess I’ve known Marinette for about…a week now?” 

Alya and Nino stared at them. 

Adrien felt Marinette fidget beside him. 

“And you two are… _ just _ friends?” 

“Y-yeah!” Marinette replied. Honestly, why were she and Adrien so nervous talking about this?! 

Alya continued to stare, but she eventually nodded slowly. 

“Okay. That’s fine. A boy and girl can be best friends without wanting to date each other.” Her nodding became more committed. “Yeah. I’ve been in that kinda situation before.” She gave an understanding smile. “Sorry if I made you two uncomfortable. If you say you’re just friends, then I believe you.” 

Nino nodded in agreement. 

Marinette sighed. “Thanks, guys. That means a lot.” 

“Yeah, it’s different to have someone actually consider my feelings on a matter,” Adrien added. There was a brief silence in which the other three just looked at him in varying degrees of sympathy. Marinette touched his arm again and gave a reassuring squeeze. He put his hand over hers and squeezed back. 

“Well,” Alya cleared her throat awkwardly. “Since we’ve established that the two of you  _ aren’t  _ dating, let’s talk about who probably are!” 

“Who’s that?” Nino asked. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir!” 

Adrien saw Marinette’s eye twitch. 

He shrugged at her helplessly. 


	2. Second Day: Seat Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mopeds aren't motorcycles, but fourteen year olds probably still think they're cool.

It was the next day when Marinette realized it. 

She turned to Adrien, who was sitting beside her at the cafeteria table during their lunch hour. 

“You know,” she began, getting his attention from his chicken salad, “you don’t always have to sit next to me outside of class. I won’t be upset if you hang out with other people.” She wasn’t completely sure if that’s what he had been thinking, but if anything, she knew he didn’t understand all of social etiquette. 

Adrien finished chewing and he swallowed his food before he gave Marinette an abashed smile. “I want to hang out with you, though. Besides, I…” he paused, seeming to think about what he wanted to say. Marinette waited patiently. “I overheard someone say that you didn’t have any close friends before this year.” 

That was unexpected. Taken aback, Marinette gaped like a fish, not knowing how to respond. 

Adrien seemed to realize as he was quick to add, “A-and I figured, well, I didn’t really have friends either while I was homeschooled, so maybe we can be that for each other from now on? Of-of course you aren’t obligated to be my best friend or anything.” 

Heart thumping loudly in her chest, Marinette was overwhelmed by how sincere this boy was. She gave an airy laugh and hugged her friend. Adrien froze for a second before hesitatingly putting his arms around her in kind. 

“You silly, silly boy. Ever since we met, I just can’t seem to get rid of you.” 

Before his face could become too crestfallen, she continued. “But that’s okay, because I don’t want to be rid of you. You’re pretty cool to be around. Doesn’t hurt that you’re pretty to look at.” 

Letting out a laugh, Adrien tightened his hold on her. “Just wait until my dad makes me do a fragrance ad. I’ll be nice to smell, too.” 

A small affronted gasp came from Adrien’s shirt pocket and Marinette could hear faint complaints about the smell of cheese being the only scents allowed to exist. Adrien and Marinette both ignored it. 

“So is it alright with you, Buginette, if I stay by your side?” 

Finally letting go of her friend, Marinette leaned back and poked him on the nose. “Only if you stop with the nicknames.” 

Giving a cheeky smile, Adrien replied, “Only if you take me on a ride around Paris again.” 

The sounds of lunch trays plopping onto the table startled them and they both jumped in their seats. 

Alya and Nino sat down across from the duo, the former giving them an amused look. It gave the impression that she knew something they didn’t. 

“So, not-lovebirds, what’s this I hear about a ride?” 

Face a bit pink, Adrien answered, “Marinette is licensed to drive a moped. She took me through the city last week and I wanted to go again.” 

Nino perked up at that. “Damn, Marinette, that’s really cool.” He looked at Marinette like he just had an epiphany. 

She shrugged. “It’s a way to get around quickly. I only really use it for deliveries.” 

“Oh?” Alya piped up. “How did you end up giving Adrien a ride? Is that how you met? Is that how you pick up cute boys?” 

Marinette rolled her eyes and ignored her growing blush. “We were established friends by then. And I’ll have you know Adrien is the only person who’s ever ridden behind me.” 

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. “Guess that makes me your seat buddy in the truest sense. Don’t you dare give up my seat to anyone else!” 

Marinette took a croissant from her packed lunch and shoved it into Adrien’s mouth. “Sorry, but my pastries take priority over you.” 

Biting down on the croissant, Adrien removed his arm from Marinette to cradle the pastry with both hands. He munched on the rest of it happily. “I’m not mad.” 


	3. Third Day: Embarrassing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s been a pattern of fluff in this story so far. It doesn’t seem to be stopping because Adrien is surrounded by very caring friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added this chapter from my phone so I’m really hoping the format doesn’t go all out of whack.

“Phew! Another day confined to a book bag. I demand compensation!” 

Tikki flew from Marinette’s purse and frowned unimpressed at Plagg. She flew gracefully over to where Marinette sat at her computer desk and politely asked, “May I have some cookies now?” 

“Of course, Tikki!” Marinette replied sweetly and pushed the plate of cookies she brought from the bakery towards her kwami. “Have as much as you’d like.” 

Plagg turned to his holder, who had plopped himself on the chaise to lie down. He flew over and landed on the boy’s face. 

“What the—! Plagg, get off me!”

“Only if you tell me where the cheese is.” 

“Find it yourself! You know where it is.” 

“Carry me there, servant!” 

Adrien simply swatted Plagg off his face. 

“Oi! Don’t be a bully!” 

Marinette and Tikki giggled at their antics. Marinette picked up a plate that was next to the cookies and was topped with a stack of cheese wedges. “Your precious cheese is right here, Plagg.” 

Plagg shot into the air and zoomed over to the cheese plate. “Dear, sweet Princess, what did I do to deserve you?” He promptly gulped down half the cheese. 

Adrien finally sat up and glared at his kwami. “That’s my line.” He was about to say more when he paused and Marinette saw him look past her at something. 

She turned around and realized he was looking at the wall behind her computer that was covered in pictures. Pictures of him. 

She blushed. “Uh, I can explain. See, I know you’re a model and have  _ tons _ of professional photos taken of you and it would make more sense to have those pictures on my wall—ah! For design inspiration of course! But, I was comparing those photos to the ones we’ve taken together and I liked them a lot more…” she trailed off slightly then timidly asked, “Is that okay?” 

Adrien didn’t say anything as he got off the chaise to take a closer look at the photos. Marinette buried her face in her hands. 

“Ugh, you hate it, don’t you? I’m so mortified right now. I just thought, since we’re friends and we’ve taken some pictures together that I wanted to put it up somewhere so I could see you—us—friends! Every day. I’m planning to put up pictures of Alya and maybe Nino because they’re starting to become pretty good friends now so—” 

“Can I do it, too?” 

“Huh?” 

Adrien turned to her, face flushed (from embarrassment? Excitement? Both?) as he clarified, “Could I put your pictures on my wall, too? It would be pictures of the both of us! And Alya and Nino.” He smiled as he seemed to think back on something. “I remember when we first met and you brought me to your home. I saw the photos on the shelf downstairs and your family looked so happy. I remember thinking to myself, I want to be part of that.” 

Marinette was convinced smoke was blowing out her ears. This boy was so precious! She decided to get over herself and stop being embarrassed about every little thing because this ray of sunshine deserved as much happiness as she could give him. 

“Do you have an Instagram account? We can take thousands of pictures together and when you add more friends you can share all of the photos with them.” 

Adrien perked up. “That’s a great idea! But…” he sagged. “My only Instagram account is the official one run by an agent and I’ve never made a Finsta because there would’ve been no one but Chloe to follow me.” He shrunk away a bit. “Saying that out loud, I’m a bit embarrassed at how pathetic that sounds.” 

Marinette stepped closer and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Being alone is not pathetic at all. The circumstances were out of your hands until now, and you’re so kind and genuine that anyone would want to be your friend. Besides, you aren’t alone anymore.” 

Adrien gave a soft chuckle. Whether it was of relief or more embarrassment, Marinette wasn’t sure. 

“You’re right. I’ve been surrounded by so many nice people recently that I feel like it’ll all disappear at any moment.” 

Tikki flew up with a cookie and offered it to him. “Take it from a magical being that is the literal embodiment of an abstract concept. We won’t disappear so easily.” 

Adrien truly laughed this time. 


	4. Fourth Day: Hide Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wants to start on some detective work (you don't see much of it though).

“Princess.” 

From her position on her bed, Marinette screamed. 

She turned around from laying on her stomach to being on her back so she could see the culprit that scared her. She glared at him. 

“Chat! What are you doing?” 

Looking a little sheepish but failing to muffle his laughter, Chat Noir opened Marinette’s balcony hatch all the way and slipped through to land beside her. He immediately detransformed and dumped a backpack that he had been wearing as a civilian onto the bed. 

“Sorry, I guess I should’ve texted first to let you know I was going to stop by.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “You think?” She watched as Adrien pulled out item after item from his bag. “What’s all this?” 

Pulling out a heavily folded sheet of paper, Adrien replied with a glint in his eyes, “An investigation starter pack.” He took the paper with him and climbed down the ladder to settle himself on Marinette’s floor. He unfolded the paper and revealed a map of Paris that was bigger than his own body. 

Smoothing it out on the floor, he explained, “We should start keeping track of where the akumas first appear before we fight too many to remember. I’ve started with all the ones we’ve encountered so far and maybe we can gather some clues from it.” 

Climbing down to join her friend, Marinette gave an impressed hum before crouching on the floor next to him. She was about to praise his genius idea before she heard her mom call her name from right under her bedroom’s hatch. 

“Marinette? Are you okay?” 

Panicking, Marinette grabbed Adrien by the arm and practically threw him into her closet. 

“Hide!” 

Marinette stood ramrod straight as her mother opened up the hatch. 

“Marinette?” 

“Yes, Mama! Did you need something?”

Sabine just stared at her daughter for a few moments. Marinette could feel herself sweating profusely. 

“Are you and Adrien playing hide-and-seek?” Sabine smiled widely. “How fun! It’s nice to know that even teenagers can still enjoy those games.” She looked past Marinette, in the direction of the closet. “If either of you are feeling hungry there are sandwiches in the fridge. And, Adrien?” 

There was some shuffling behind Marinette before a muffled, “Yes, Mrs. Cheng?” was heard. 

“Next time be sure to say hi to Tom and I before you come up. We’ll start missing you too much if we never see you!” 

“Sure thing, Mrs. Cheng.” 

Sabine chuckled before she left the room, swinging the hatch shut as she went. 

Silence. 

“Bwahahahaha! You two idiots are hilarious to watch! Man, Fu sure knows how to pick’em!” 

Adrien finally poked his head out of the closet, sending a glare to Plagg. “I didn’t purposely hide, okay?” 

Marinette squawked in indignation. “Are you calling  _ me _ the idiot then?” 

Adrien became flustered as he struggled to remove himself from all of Marinette’s hanging dresses and sweaters. “O-of course not! That wasn’t idiotic at all! It’s Plagg who’s being all judgmental here.” 

“And who is that ‘Fu’ you just mentioned?” Marinette questioned. She saw Tikki and Plagg both freeze in the air. 

Tikki then also turned a glare on the other kwami. 

“I’m guessing it’s another secret that wasn’t supposed to be outed?” Marinette tried. 

Releasing a millenia-old sigh, Tikki merely nodded. 

Chuckling sheepishly, Plagg flew over to her. “Heh, uh, sorry, Sugarcube.” 

Finally escaping the closet, Adrien smoothed down his clothes and asked, “Is this ‘Fu’ person the one who gave us our Miraculous? I’ve kind of been wondering how the box got in my room in the first place.” 

Tikki looked hesitant as she replied, “He is. I don’t want to reveal anymore for now, but just know that it is all information that you’ll be given in due time.” 

Adrien looked like he wanted to argue, but Marinette cut him off, giving him a look. “That’s alright, Tikki. We’ve already blown it once by giving up our secret identities on day one. We owe it to you, and Plagg,” she added jokingly, “to trust you with your own secrets. Right, Adrien?” 

Her friend had the sense to look abashed as he nodded. “Marinette’s right. We’ve already been trusted with this great responsibility and power and we’ve mucked it up once already. It’s trust that we have to gain back. I’m sorry, Tikki.” 

The kwami smiled gratefully at them. “Rest assured, you’ll meet Master Fu eventually, but not one day before I believe you are ready to.” 

Plagg threw in his two cents. “You’re still kids who have yet to mature. Take this cheese for example.” He seemed to procure an open jar of cheese out of nowhere. “I  _ could _ eat it now, savor what flavor I can get from it. But!” Here, he tossed the jar up and closed the lid tight. “Imagine what amazing delectable taste I will be rewarded with if I just wait a few more months!” He set the jar on the map and crossed his arms smugly. “How’s that for a lesson, Sugarcube?” 

Tikki rolled her eyes. “Stop calling me that.” 

Adrien just pinched his nose closed. “I am not looking forward to the end of those months.” 

“Well until then, let’s see what we can investigate on our own,” Marinette suggested. “What do you think, Kitty?” 

Adrien looked at Marinette in surprise. Did she say something weird? 

Before Marinette could fully think back on what she said, Adrien enthusiastically nodded and pulled her down with him to pour over the map once more. 

“So as I was saying before, I’ve marked where the few akumas we’ve fought first appeared. I was unsure about one or two of them, but the Ladyblog helped me out with that”

Marinette hummed. “ Turns out Alya’s blog is a good source of information for us. At least until the news stations stops slamming us and actually reports helpful, you know, news.” 

Adrien gave a reassuring smile. “I’m sure all of Paris will realize that we’re the good guys eventually.” 

Marinette sighed. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just frustrating when people still don’t listen to us when we say it’s dangerous. That man today that I picked up near the end of the fight? He could’ve gotten hit by a truck if I didn’t make it in time.” 

“Hey.” Adrien lifted Marinette’s chin so she had to look him in the eyes. Very vibrant emerald eyes. “What matters is that you  _ did _ make it to him. We just have to keep at it, because who else will? Besides, we’ve got awesome people like Alya who already believe in us. As long as we continue to protect our city, they’ll all realize it one day.” 

Marinette’s chest wanted to burst with something she couldn’t quite identify due to Adrien’s overwhelming faith he had in the both of them. 

“Yeah,” she relented. “We won’t give up anytime soon.” Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the map. “Now let’s get to work.” 


	5. Fifth Day: Clumsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s every day Marinette curses her clumsiness, but it’s finally getting real out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been writing and uploading these chapters from my phone and I’m paranoid each time about the format and spelling/grammar errors. Autocorrect/autofill is great sometimes but when it isn’t, it’s reeeaaally annoying.

The next day, Marinette was on her way home from school for lunch. Her arms were full of books that she and Adrien had gathered from the library on ancient civilizations. Tikki and Plagg had told them some stories about Ladybugs and Chat Noirs from the past and Marinette had the idea to look for clues throughout history on other Miraculous users. If they could find information about the Butterfly Miraculous, it just might lead them to Hawkmoth’s weakness. It was a small chance, but it was something. 

Many of the books were marked with sticky notes and speculations the both of them had written down during their study period based on Tikki and Plagg’s accounts of history. Some of it seemed promising, especially the books on ancient Egypt and ancient China. 

Marinette wanted to go over those notes again as soon as possible with Adrien, but he had a photoshoot during their lunch hour that would spill over into class time. That left Marinette to take all the books home with her, to the massive guilt of Adrien. She had waved him off, reminding him that all of their research and investigation material was already in her room. Might as well keep everything together  until they scanned or took photos of the pages. 

“I also wish I could help you carry everything, Marinette,” Tikki murmured from the girl’s purse. 

Marinette looked around the front of the school to see most students already gone before she looked down to Tikki. “It’s alright, Tikki. I’m used to carrying heavy loads when I buy fabric from the stores across town or when I help out in the bakery. Besides, it’s totally worth it if we can find something useful.” 

Tikki sighed. “If only we knew where the grimoire was…” 

“The what?” 

Before her kwami could answer, Marinette felt her foot catch on something and she automatically threw her arms out to catch herself as she fell. The books in her arms were thrown forward and a yelp of pain was heard. 

Oh, why did Marinette run into people while she was holding things so often?! 

She looked up to apologize and saw Chloé standing before her, hands covering her nose. They stared at each other in momentary shock until Marinette noticed something red drip from Chloé’s fingers. 

“Oh my god, Chloé, I broke your nose!”

The girl opened her mouth to say something but seemed to cringe in pain. Her eyes looked watery and Marinette freaked out a little more at the thought of causing Chloé to cry. She may not like the girl on a good day, but she never would want to impose bodily harm on her. 

Marinette gathered her books and ushered Chloé across the street to the bakery. Oddly enough, she didn’t put up a fight. Marinette worriedly wondered if the pain was that great that Chloé forgot herself. 

Entering through the side door of the building, Marinette popped her head in the kitchen to see if one of her parents could help, but they were swamped with the midday rush. 

“Ohhh, this is terrible, what do I do?!” she frantically muttered to herself. 

“Do you have first aid knowledge?” Tikki quietly questioned. 

Pausing, Marinette struggled to remember. “I…I do. Took a class earlier in the summer after I burned myself with a bread pan. I…did learn how to treat a bloody nose.” 

Tikki nodded. “Good. Start with that. You can assess if the nose is actually broken after you’ve dealt with the bleeding.” 

Marinette sighed in relief at being given a direction and looked at Tikki gratefully. Squaring her shoulders, she marched back to Chloé, who had her eyes closed tight and was breathing heavily through her mouth. Marinette was hit by immense guilt again and gingerly led the other girl up the stairs to her home. They eventually settled themselves in the bathroom, with Chloé sitting on the toilet as Marinette kneeled in front of her with all the medical items she believed she needed. 

They were both silent as Marinette worked, except for some small hisses of pain and soothing unintelligible murmurs. When Chloé finally opened her eyes, she kept them glued to the ceiling which Marinette was thankful for, lest she had to endure any ounce of awkward staring. 

Once the bleeding stopped and the blood was cleaned up, Marinette sat back on her heels and finally spoke up. 

“Other than slight swelling, your nose looks fine. It probably isn’t broken like I initially thought. How does it feel?” 

Chloé merely stayed silent but she turned a glare on Marinette. 

Inhaling sharply, Marinette knew what she had to do. “Look, I’m really sorry that my clumsiness ended up causing you actual harm. We don’t like each other all that much, but I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. No one deserves to be in pain, no matter how bad they are. So, I’m sorry.” 

Chloé’s lips thinned but her glare wavered. The girls stared at each other for a moment. 

Marinette wondered what was running through Chloé’s mind. It was jarring to take a moment every once in a while to remember that Chloé was more than she presented herself to be, more than just a spoiled rich bratty bully. It was difficult, but moments like these, when Chloé didn’t act like usual was when Marinette could believe when Adrien told her Chloé didn’t used to be so bad. The question now was, could Chloé change again, but for the better this time? 

The girl eventually pulled back and looked away, scoffing. “I could sue you for all you have, Dupain-Cheng. For as long as my face is like this, you’re on thin ice.” 

Marinette huffed and rolled her eyes. If Chloé was going to change, it sure as heck wasn’t happening so soon. “And? What do you want me to do then?” 

“I’ve seen how you cling to Adrikins every single day. He’s probably getting tired of you and soon enough he’ll be running away from you and back to me. Don’t count yourself so lucky that I haven’t forced an intervention myself. I know all I have to do is wait because you’re a disaster all on your own.” 

Marinette snapped the medical kit shut and abruptly stood up. 

“We’re all done here. I think it’s time you leave.” 

Chloé didn’t argue but complained the whole way out the door of the building. Marinette finally couldn’t stand it and said one last thing before slamming the door in the other girl’s face. 

“If you were actually Adrien’s friend and stopped being such a selfish brat for once, maybe you’d realize that  _ you’re _ the one who’s losing him.” 

The last thing she saw was Chloé’s affronted face. 

… 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

A magical loveliness wrapped itself around Paris and restored all that was damaged. A young man sat on the roof of the broadcast station shook his head and blinked owlishly at his surroundings. 

“Eh? What happened?” 

In front of him, Ladybug and Chat Noir fist bumped before the former slowly approached him and explained how a malicious entity possessed him. The man seemed to take it all with a grain of salt, but after all the akumatizations the past week, he was more receptive to what they said than they expected. 

After making sure the man could get home alright, the heroes waved him goodbye as he left the rooftop. 

“Another day, another job well done, Milady.” 

Sliding open her yo-yo to take some notes about the fight before she forgot them, Ladybug replied, “You can say that again. I just hope Hawkmoth keeps these akumas to every other day. I’m pretty sure no one believed us when we both tried to excuse ourselves from class.” 

Chat groaned. “And it was only twenty minutes before class was dismissed. School is definitely over by now.” 

Their Miraculous both beeped in warning that they each had three minutes left before they transformed back. 

“We better leave before we’re stranded up with here no explanation for the employees downstairs. Are you coming to my place, Chaton?” 

Chat grinned. “So I wasn’t hearing things the other day. Bit of a hypocrite with the nicknames, aren’t you, Bugaboo?” 

Ladybug froze as she realized what she had said. Her face went pink as she threw her yo-yo out, ready to swing away. “T-that-it—at least it’s better than Bugaboo!” And away she leapt. 

Chat chuckled and called out, “So I’ll meet you at yours!” 

As good as his eyesight became with his Miraculous, he couldn’t be sure if his partner flipped him off as she swung away. 

… 

“So.” 

Marinette raised an eyebrow. 

“So, what?” 

Adrien nonchalantly fiddled with his phone. He shrugged. 

“Chloé texted me today. Said you threw a brick at her face.”

“It was a book,” Marinette automatically corrected. 

Adrien’s eyebrows raised. 

“But it was an accident!” Marinette threw her hands over her face. “Ugh. I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually went through with her threat of a lawsuit.” 

“I’m sure she wouldn’t do that.” 

“No offense, Adrien, but how often did you get to see Chloé interact with people aside from you in the past few years?” 

“Um…” 

“Exactly.” 

“Look,” Adrien pressed on, “all I’m saying is to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her text also said I had terrible taste in friends. The fact she acknowledged you’re my friend is a huge step for her in my book.” 

Marinette groaned. “I hate that you actually sound right.” She pointed at him. “If she does sue me though, I’m holding you responsible.” 

Adrien put his hands up and laughed. “I’ll pay for your lawyer and everything.” 

Marinette couldn’t help but smile as well as she turned back to the akuma map they had been updating. 


	6. Sixth Day: Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More plot than anyone probably anticipated from this sort of fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs psychotically* 
> 
> This is very late. 
> 
> *eye twitch*

_ “People deserve to know what’s going on in their city. If you do this, it’ll be a neutral space for you to say what you need and get your story out before the media tries to skew it.”  _

_ “You…make a good point.”  _

_ “And what’s to lose if you do this? Here, take this list and get back to me at this email. I’ll chase you down again if I don’t get an answer tonight!”  _

“—and that’s what happened yesterday.” 

Marinette’s eye twitched. “How did you forget to tell me this! And that you already told her yes!” 

Adrien winked, though he couldn’t help but sweat nervously. “Guess I was too distracted by a certain lady after I followed her home.” 

She rolled her eyes. “For all your social shortcomings, I’m not going to teach you how to properly flirt.” 

Adrien pouted. “I can flirt just fine,” he mumbled. 

“Anyway,” Marinette continued, “what are we going to do about Alya? Now that you’ve promised her an interview, it’d be in bad taste if we never show up.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m not so reckless that I didn’t think it through—” 

“You sure about that?” Plagg interjected from a corner of the room. 

“—and I’ve sorted out the preliminary list she gave me. I figured we wouldn’t be revealing  _ everything _ we know about Hawkmoth and the Miraculous.” 

“That’s a good call,” Tikki commented. 

“So what questions are left?” Marinette asked, coming to sit beside him on the chaise. Hm… Her shampoo had changed, something like mango peach? But there was a part of her scent that seemed to remain the same…  

“Adrien?” 

“Wha—? Oh. Right.” He cleared his throat and pulled out the list from his bag with a flourish. “The questions we are now left with come up to a total o—f! Two.” 

“Two? That’s it?” 

Adrien sighed. “Yeah. I got a bit paranoid with the other questions. Here, take a look.” 

Marinette leaned closer as Adrien angled the paper towards her. 

“‘What are the strange occurrences in which Parisians become akumatized?’” Marinette read aloud. “‘Are people who were previously akumas to be handled with caution despite all claiming to have no memory of respective events or are they all genuine victims to the mysterious power?’ Wow, this is really articulate phrasing.” 

“Something tells me she spent a lot of time on these questions. It makes me feel bad for crossing so many of them out,” Adrien admitted. “The entire list is twenty questions.” 

Skimming the words that were all struck through, Marinette pursed her lips and considered them. “‘Source of your powers’…‘human or supernatural’…’secret identities’…’are there more of you’…” Marinette hummed in thought. 

“So?” 

“You’re right that we should avoid questions about our identities. I think we need to tell them about Hawkmoth though.” 

“I agree,” Tikki chimed in. “The more that people are kept in the dark, especially at this scale, the more vulnerable they are to hysteria and fear. Keeping your identities secret is one thing, but leaving innocent civilians clueless about potential danger is actually quite negligent.” 

Adrien nodded. “Makes sense.” 

Marinette threw her hands up. “But how much information is too much and too little?” 

Plagg floated over, wrapped in one of Marinette’s socks. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Ask the people what they want to know and give it to them. As long as you don’t give away Miraculous secrets, like the existence of kwamis, it’s no biggie.” 

Marinette made a face. Adrien found her scrunched up nose to be quite cute. “It can’t be that easy. And stop digging through my laundry, it’s gross. Put the sock down!” 

Plagg shrugged and pointedly did not drop the sock as he flew away. 

Adrien would’ve laughed, but he remembered that he dealt with the exact same thing every day since meeting Plagg, so he simply patted her shoulder in solidarity. 

“So what are we doing?” he asked, turning back to the original conversation. “Just as Plagg says?” 

Still looking unsure, Marinette turned once more to her kwami. “Any advice?” 

Tikki shook her head. “As long as you don’t reveal actual Miraculous secrets or the existence of the Guardian, I’m going to trust your judgment.” She smiled sweetly. 

Well that totally didn’t add to the pressure at all. 

“We’ll explain how akumas work, which means we’ll tell them all about Hawkmoth and how akumatized people are just victims. That just leaves what we’ll say about our powers, right?” Adrien smiled comfortingly at Marinette. 

She smiled back and nodded. “When you put it that way, the whole thing doesn’t seem too intimidating. Alright, we have to say  _ something _ about our Miraculous because some akumas have asked us out loud about them and I don’t think we can keep quiet about it for too long. But…maybe we can be vague about it.” 

“Like how?” 

Marinette got a glint in her eye, one that Adrien was starting to recognize as her mind piecing together a plan. 

“We don’t confirm any connection between our Miraculous and our powers. The more people who know the abilities of the jewelry, the more likely bad people will try to steal them from us.” 

“So play it like Hawkmoth is just after priceless jewelry?” 

“Exactly. That way, people won’t be able to confirm that we’re just regular human beings, but they can’t dismiss the idea either.” 

“What about Hawkmoth? What if he decides to reveal himself and tell the truth?” 

Marinette smirked. “I doubt he would. He’s a Miraculous user just like us. If he told the truth and made us out to be regular people, then he’d be doing the same to himself. Right now I think he’s banking on the citizens’ distrust of us and his own anonymity, maybe to akumatize people through fear, I don’t know. The longer things stay like this, the harder it’ll be for us to do our jobs and keep everyone safe. We’ll have to use this interview to bring people to our side by handing them some truths.” 

“Wow,” Adrien breathed and sat back. “You’re amazing, Marinette. I think you’re a genius.” 

Marinette blushed. “M-me? You’re the one who speaks multiple languages, plays piano, and is far ahead of the class because of your home schooling.” 

“Well academics is one thing. Maybe what I mean to say is that you’re really clever. Like, street smart.” 

“Adrien is right!” Tikki exclaimed. “When you do your duty as Ladybug by fighting akumas and finding solutions to situations like this, I can see how beautiful your mind is. Your creativity and adaptive thinking just fill me to the brim!” The kwami practically starting shaking. 

“Okay,” Marinette replied slowly at Tikki’s weird comment, but she couldn’t help but smile at their praise. “I take it we go with that plan, then?” 

*** 

“It’s been several days since the two of you first appeared. Ever since then we’ve seen you fight many different akumas, as you’ve told us they are called. But the people of Paris don’t really  _ know _ what akumas are. Can you tell us about that? What does it mean to be ‘akumatized’?” 

Ladybug was sat prim and proper beside her partner on Alya’s living room couch. She folded her hands in her lap and nodded, her gaze serious but her smile kind. 

“As many of you may have guessed, Chat Noir and I aren’t the only ones with superhuman abilities and magical powers. The akumas we’ve been fighting are created and controlled by a man called Hawkmoth.” 

“Now before anyone starts to think that all those akumatized people are in league with Hawkmoth,” Chat Noir chimes in, “we just want to clarify right now that all of those people were taken advantage of.” 

Still looking at the camera, Ladybug nodded. “That’s right. Hawkmoth’s power allows him to find people in vulnerable emotional states and that’s how his akumas possess them. In no way are civilians at fault for having emotions.” 

Alya nodded enthusiastically as she looked back down at her notes. “Can you tell us what exactly Hawkmoth’s goal is? Do you even know?” 

Chat held up his right fist, the black ring adorning it almost shining. “He’s after some rare jewelry that we possess. For what, we’re not sure.” 

Alya eyed Chat’s Miraculous. “What’s so special about a ring that a man would attack Paris for it?” 

He winked in response. “It’s more special than you think.” 

“Point is,” Ladybug continued, “Hawkmoth intends to steal what isn’t rightfully his and he’ll do whatever to get them. We’re here to stop him no matter what.” 

***

A lone figure stood in a wide open room, illuminated only by natural light coming from massive windows and the light from the screen of a standing computer monitor. 

As a video of the interview played, a man smiled amusedly. 

“Quite clever, children. But this is a game you don’t even know the rules of.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been feeling delirious for at least two days now. My sincerest apologies if this chapter felt really wack. I know I do.


	7. Day Seven: Sweet Tooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is not as sneaky as he thinks he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s right! I’m still doing this! I’m determined to reach the end and nothing’s gonna stop me, not even all these new freaking episodes that keep pulling the rug from under me.

Looking over his shoulder, Adrien smoothly slipped through the front door of the mansion, his school bag clutched almost too tightly against his chest.

Closing the door delicately until he heard the soft click, he quickly turned back around to see if anyone had spotted him.

“Adrien.”

With a small yelp, Adrien pressed himself against the door in surprise. “N-Nathalie! I’m home!”

“So I can see,” she replied with little inflection. Adrien heard her sniff. “You smell like sugar.”

Adrien tightened his grip on his bag. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Are you hiding sweets?”

“I—no. No, I don’t have sweets.”

Nathalie sighed. “Adrien, we let you have sweets and desserts every week but you can’t go gorging on more than your diet allows. Please give me the food you are hiding.”

He considered keeping up the charade but quickly realized he would get nowhere by arguing with the relentless woman. It didn’t stop him from pouting as he opened his bag and passed over the small box of still-warm croissants. He almost wanted to retort that she still allowed him an obscene amount of daily cheese but didn’t want to risk Plagg’s only source of his favored food.

Once Nathalie was satisfied that he wasn’t hiding any other pastries, she let him go to his room where he tossed his bag away and flopped on his bed.

“What are you moping about?” Plagg asked disinterestedly as he flew over to his steadily growing cheese stash.

“I was looking forward to those croissants the whole way home,” Adrien mumbled into his pillow. “Imagine if you were restricted on your cheese intake.”

Plagg quietly contemplated that before inhaling an entire cheese wedge in one go. “Truly tragic. Why don’t you cry about it to your girlfriend? That’s what I would do.”

Adrien raised his head and glared at his kwami without much force. “She’s not my girlfriend, Plagg. And are you telling me _you_ have a girlfriend?”

“Of course not,” Plagg replied nonchalantly. “I’m a kwami. Kwamis don’t deal with such trivial labels like _girlfriend-boyfriend_ or _spouse_. Besides, only Tikki and I could be considered anything like significant others amongst the kwamis and that’s only because we are perfect opposites. Anyway, I wasn’t even talking about Tikki. I meant I would complain to the princess.”

Adrien glared harder. “Why are _you_ calling her Princess all the time now? That’s _my_ nickname for her.”

Plagg flew over and sat smugly on his chosen’s head. “Why? Jealous?”

Adrien scoffed. He swiped at the kwami and ran a hand through his hair to fix it. “No. It’s just _my_ nickname for her.”

“And Bugaboo, and Buginette, and Milady. Why don’t you just take her actual name while you’re at it!”

Hearing his phone buzz, Adrien ignored Plagg to see who was calling him. He beamed when he saw who it was and quickly answered it.

“Hey, Mari! What’s up?”

“And there’s another one,” Plagg muttered.

Adrien set his phone on its stand so he could pull out his homework to work on it while still FaceTiming his friend. They chatted and sped through their assignments for the next hour, hardly ever interrupted by their kwamis, especially since they sadly couldn’t be seen or heard through electronic devices.

“By the way,” Marinette started after they finished up their math problems, “how did you like the croissants? I don’t make them very often on my own, but I think they were pretty successful this time around.”

Adrien nearly choked on his words. “ _You_ made them?”

“Yeah,” Marinette replied slowly. She frowned. “Were they not that good after all?”

Adrien shook  his sadly. “I wouldn't know. I never got to eat them because Nathalie confiscated them.” He groaned. “I can’t believe I missed out on pastries made by _you._ ”

“Aw, Kitty,” Marinette cooed. “I can always make more.”

Adrien’s heart warmed at the nickname, though he didn’t dare point it out for fear that Marinette would refuse to continue using it. He couldn’t wait for the day she called him Sunshine again.

“That’d be great!” He sighed. “For now I guess I’ll stick to my lean meats and salads.”

Marinette got an odd look on her face before she said, “Hey, I gotta go now. Helping my parents—you know how it is. Thanks for studying with me. See you later?”

Adrien nodded but before he could question her, she hung up. He stared at his phone.

“Huh. Weird.”

He looked at Plagg but even the kwami shrugged in as much confusion but with less care.

It was only minutes later when Adrien finally understood.

“L-Ladybug! What are you doing here?”

The superheroine smiled and leaped down from her perch on his window sill. She twirled a basket around her fingers and plopped it down on his coffee table.

“I come bearing gifts!”

“Gifts?”

Ladybug transformed back into Marinette and she eagerly flipped open the basket. “Yep! Ta-da!” She presented to him a golden-flaked croissant.

Adrien froze.

His eyes teared up.

He lunged for the pastry as if it was salvation.

“Jeez, why is this kid so extra?”

Adrien heard Marinette giggle over his munching.

“I didn’t think you would know what that means, Plagg.”

“We kwami pick up languages and slang almost instantaneously. Remember, we are beings conceived before even life existed. Communication is nothing complex for us.”

Adrien swallowed the rest of his croissant and turned to Tikki. “So you understand when I say you can stop flexing.”

Tikki giggled. “Sorry. It’s simply matter of fact for us.”

“You’re one to talk though,” Marinette chimed in, poking Adrien in the cheek, “Mr. Fluent-In-Several-Languages. How was the croissant?”

Adrien sighed in happiness. “It was heavenly. Was it from your batch?”

Smiling widely, Marinette nodded. “Glad you liked it. I have a few more that you and Plagg can split. I also brought some cheese danishes and macarons leftover from the bakery today. We only sell bread and pastries made day-of so everything else is technically waste. We try to donate the food or we eat it ourselves.”

Adrien and Plagg had both zoomed over to the basket when Marinette mentioned cheese danishes and macarons and both took a bite of the first things they grabbed.

“You’re the best, Princess,” they contentedly sighed in unison.

Adrien glared at Plagg.

Tikki looked on amusedly before she flew over to her holder. “Come on, Marinette, let’s head home now. You really did promise to help your parents close up.”

“You’re right.” The girl turned to her partner as she transformed into Ladybug once again. “And Adrien, if you ever need a fix for that sweet tooth of yours, you know I’ll always have something for you. See you both later!” With a wave and a toss of her yo-yo, she was gone.

Plagg floated over with a danish to land on Adrien’s arm. “Ahh, if only I were a human boy.”

Adrien chose to flick his kwami away instead of responding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t think of what I could do plot-wise with this prompt so it’s really random filler stuff. Not to worry though because I’ve got juicy plans for the rest of the prompts!
> 
> Also, if Plagg were human I’d totally ship him with Marinette. But don’t worry, that ain’t happening in this story.


	8. Day Eight: A Favor Only You Can Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for one of our favorite akumas and things get a little scary for our heroes. One could even say...a storm is coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My phone autocorrects verbs in past tense to present tense and it drives me crazy. One of my writing pet peeves is inconsistent tenses so just know if you come across any, that I'm pulling my hair out trying to fix them all. Other wild typos can be blamed on autocorrect as well.

“I want to vote for Mireille!”

“ _Okay_ , Manon, just sit still first!”

The little girl petulantly did as she was told.

Marinette sighed in relief before she swiped her passcode on her phone and handed it to Manon. It wasn’t often that Marinette had to babysit, but when she did it always took 110% of her focus and energy. She had learned the hard way long ago that taking her eyes off small children for even a moment could mean her ultimate doom.

“Ooooh! Is this your _boyfriend_ , Marinette?”

Marinette’s head shot up as she saw Manon flaunt the phone at her. Apparently the little sneak hadn’t been busy voting for the Weather Girl at all and had opened up Snapchat instead. On the screen showed Adrien’s face under a cat filter and his bottom lip sticking out in a pout that Marinette would refuse to admit out loud made her heart pound. Based on the background he seemed to be outside and the caption at the bottom read “Kitty needs a favor!!!”

Snatching the phone out of Manon’s hands, Marinette swiped up on her screen to reply to her friend as she stuttered out, “H-he’s just my friend! Like, my best friend! Not my boyfriend—not like I _want_ him to be or anything…or do I? No! No, he’s not my boyfriend!”

Manon giggled. “Are you _lying_?”

Barely managing real words anymore, Marinette wondered why she was trying so hard to get a five year old to understand her relationship with her partner. Manon’s attention was quickly stolen away by some TV commercial anyway and Marinette quickly gave up. She went back to her conversation with Adrien.

_MariD-C:_

_What’s the favor_

_Agreste-ivelyAdrien:_

_youre the only one who can do it_

_plz_

_im in the park across the bakery_

_hurry!!_

Marinette looked up at Manon, whose attention could no longer be held by simple television. The girl seemed ready to burst through the window with pent up energy. Perhaps some time outside would help.

_MariD-C:_

_On my way_

_Bringing a child with me_

…

“And you have no clue about what he wants.”

Marinette shook her head at Alya, trying not to fall over from Manon impatiently tugging on her hand as they strolled across the street.

“All I know is that he’s supposed to be at a photoshoot right now. Maybe he wants to dip and needs me to help sneak him out. That’s why I need you here to help me keep an eye on Manon. You’re so good with your little sisters and I’m so jealous!”

Alya sighed dramatically. “And here I thought you simply wanted the joy of my company.”

“I’m sorry, Alya! I’m not trying to use you for convenience or anything! You’re more important to me than that, you know?”

Laughing, Alya shook her head. “Relax, girl. I’m just playing. Even just tagging along as you do questionable things sounds fun.”

The girls finally entered the park and automatically headed for the fountain located at its center. There, they found Adrien posing in front of a photographer who was currently bent in quite a confusing shape on the ground.

They watched from a few feet away—careful not to let their shadows get in the way—as the experienced model switched positions to and fro and his face tilt this and that way, casual expressions morphing from one thing to the next.

“And now Mama has just dropped the spaghetti!”

At Adrien’s immediate and obviously fake frown at those words, Marinette and Alya looked at each other before bursting out laughing, which drew the boy’s attention away from his work.

“No, no! You are not _happy_ about the dropped spaghetti!”

“Sorry, Vincent. My friend is here, the one I told you about.”

“Wonderful! She will look perfect next to you!”

When Marinette heard that, she stopped laughing and looked at them in shock.

“Say what now?”

Alya threw a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter as Marinette was dragged away by Adrien and his photographer.

“W-wait! You want me to model? With Adrien?!”

When Marinette shot a frantic look to Alya, the other girl seemed content to cross her arms and watch Marinette’s predicament for her own amusement. That is, she would have if Manon hadn’t run in and attached herself to Marinette’s leg, creating a ruckus.

“Marinette! You’re supposed to play with me!”

If it weren’t for Adrien’s quick reflexes, Marinette would have toppled over with the child stuck to her.

After making sure Marinette was stable, Adrien crouched down to be eye level with Manon. He gave her a charming smile and stuck a hand out.

“Hello, Miss. I’m Adrien. What’s your name?”

Wide-eyed, Manon answered in an awed voice, “Manon,” and shook his hand. She turned to Marinette, attempting (and failing) to side whisper to her, “Your boyfriend is so pretty!”

Both Marinette and Adrien turned red at that but before they could once again deny the relationship _everyone_ seemed to think they had, Vincent popped in between them and exclaimed, “Now _this_ is the girl I’ve been looking for!”

“Say _what_ now?!”

Alya practically cackled with delight. She came in and scooped Manon up, to the little girl’s protest. “It’s always a blast hanging out with you guys. I’m sorry, sir,” she addressed to Vincent, “but none of us here are this girl’s legal guardian so we don’t have the right to give permission for her to be in any promotional photos.”

Marinette shook away her embarrassment. “That’s right. Manon’s mom is working right now and won’t be able to give permission over the phone either.” At Manon’s pout from being talked over, Marinette reached over to tickle her. “Besides, it seems like Manon really needs that Mireille balloon right now!”

Manon brightened up in the midst of her laughter and jumped down from Alya’s arms to run to the balloon man.

“You stay here, girl,” Alya said as she began to walk after Manon, “You can help Adrien and his photographer while I watch the little squirt.”

“Magnificent!” Vincent exclaimed. “It is tragic that we cannot use that angelic little girl, but you will do.”

Looking to Adrien, Marinette replied, “Thanks?”

Adrien just shrugged helplessly, but he gave her a commiserating smile.

Unfortunately, before Vincent could set Marinette where he needed her and snap any photos, a sudden powerful gust enveloped the park and brought a frosty chill to the air.

Feeling how unnatural it was, Marinette and Adrien glanced at each other and came to the same conclusion.

Akuma.

“I-I can’t work under these terrible conditions,” Adrien almost whined. “Let’s take a break until the sun comes out and it’s warm again!” He took Marinette’s hand and led her away.

Gobsmacked at the behavior coming from Adrien that he had probably never seen before, Vincent could only watch in speechlessness. It was probably a good thing too, that he didn’t chase after them, because in the next moment the area the duo had disappeared to had become encased in a fortress of ice.

“Adrien!” Vincent yelled out in shock. He finally got his legs to move and he banged on the icy wall. “Oh, no! What am I going to tell your father?!”

Hidden among the leaves (like ninja) of a tall tree, Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“It says a lot about your dad if that’s his employee’s first reaction.”

Chat Noir sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Ladybug comfortingly patted him on the shoulder before setting her eyes on their newest opponent: Stormy Weather.

…

After exchanging some blows with the akumatized girl, Ladybug realized that Stormy Weather was a lot trickier to handle than the akumas before her. She had absolute control over the weather—hail, wind and even lightning—not to mention her ability to fly.

As soon as Ladybug or Chat Noir got in close range, Stormy Weather would freeze the ground or blow them away with just a swing of her umbrella. Ladybug didn’t have to guess that the akuma was hidden there, nor was it a stretch to figure out she was Aurora Beauréal, the runner up of the KIDZ+ Weather Girl contest.

Marinette played enough video games to know that if one strategy didn’t work after five minutes, it was time to change tactics.

“Chat, we’re pulling back for now!” she shouted while ducking and sliding under a slew of icicles that nearly impaled her.

“Roger that, M’Lady!” Chat saluted and called upon his power. He pressed his palm against a car that sat in the road between him and Stormy Weather, causing it to explode and blanket the street with fire and smoke. The heroes took that opportunity to take cover inside one of the buildings and detransform, further allowing them to hide. They kept their ears against the door to listen for any signs of pursuit, but after one shout of outrage, the wind outside died down and all was quiet.

Adrien shuddered. “If it weren’t for her powers, I’d say she needed to chill.”

“She’s a tough one for sure. We’ll have to be clever about how to defeat her. Direct confrontation can only get us so far.”

Adrien withdrew some Camembert from his pocket to hand to Plagg. He pinched his nose in disgust. “I say we throw some of this cheese at her. The stench will knock her out for sure.”

Plagg paused in his eating to bite Adrien’s hand in offense.

“Ow!”

Marinette tutted, causing Plagg to sheepishly release his holder’s skin and resume in snacking.

“So, what’s the plan then?” Adrien asked as he rubbed his pinkened skin.

Marinette crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground, thinking hard. “Her powers are based on the weather, which means the sky is her domain,” she muttered, more to herself than the others. “Where do people go when the weather gets bad?”

“Inside?” Adrien offered to what was really a rhetorical question.

“Right. Our main goal is the umbrella: the source of her powers and the akumatized item. Her most troublesome powers are the ice, lightning and wind. The ice and lightning come from the clouds she gathers above in the sky, so being indoors should eliminate that threat. That leaves the wind, which might not even be possible for her in a small room.”

“Great! So we lure her inside and trap her!”

Marinette nodded and called for Tikki to transform her. Adrien followed suit and soon they were flying over the roofs of Paris again.

“But how do we get her to willingly follow us inside?” Chat asked. “Her head isn’t so in the clouds that she’d easily fall for it.”

“That’s the hard part, Chaton,” Ladybug answered. Honestly, she was still trying to complete that part of the plan in her head.

Unfortunately, Stormy Weather seemed to be a few steps ahead of them.

As the heroes passed a large outdoor television screen projecting a beverage ad on one of the taller buildings in the city, the screen flickered before switching to a live broadcast from inside the TVi news station. The screen was filled with Stormy Weather’s deviously grinning face.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir,” she called out, “how shameful of you to use the media to lay the blame of all the destruction and chaos in Paris on an imaginary villain. Don’t you know? The person behind the akumas is just a man whose purpose you can’t even begin to understand. All you’re doing is creating more victims.” She took a few steps back before lifting her arm to reveal something shocking.

“Manon!” Ladybug cried out. Chat could only gasp.

“You were suspiciously protective of this little cutie back at the park,” Stormy Weather continued as she hugged the limp and unconscious little girl closer to herself. “Is she someone to you, Ladybug? Or maybe I’m overestimating you and you’re really naive enough to think you can save every single measly life in the entire city?”

Ladybug clenched her fists. “That _bitch_!”

“Hey, hey.” Chat tried to calm her down. “It’s Hawkmoth who’s at fault. We’ll save Manon and put our heads together like we always do and we’ll be even closer to finding that man. For now, let’s stay focused.”

Her lips had begun to tremble at the thought of Manon hurt in any way (how else was she unconscious?!) but Ladybug listened closely to her partner’s voice. It soothed her to a degree and she took several shaky breaths to put her fears away. He was right. It was no use breaking down now when they should already be on their way to rescue Manon.

Closing her eyes, Ladybug took inhaled deeply one more time. When she opened her eyes again, she look determinedly at her partner and said, “I’m ready. And I know how she’s going down.”

***

Hidden within his lair, Hawkmoth watched through his akuma’s eyes as the children seemingly ran around like headless chickens throughout the broadcasting building. He knew better though, and let Stormy Weather trigger the trap they set for her.

It was disappointing that he wouldn’t get their Miraculous that day, especially with how powerful this particular akuma was, but he knew it was only a matter of time when the brats would realize how in over their heads they were and give up the jewelry.

Children were breakable—no, _moldable_ —like that. Manipulate their environment and you manipulate their minds.

He took a locket out from his pocket and opened it, gazing at the photo inside for a long moment.

Suddenly, he felt the connection between himself and Stormy Weather break and knew the fight was over.

He snapped the locket shut.

There was only one goal at the end of all this struggle and nothing would get in his way. Not even mere _children_.

***

Adrien stood beside Marinette as they watched the emotional reunion between Manon and her mother. Nadja had been crying when she had come running to the park where Ladybug and Chat had dropped the little girl off with Alya. The heroes had decided that was the best course of action to try and distance themselves from the idea that they personally knew Manon.

They had detransformed nearby and came running back just in time to see mother and daughter hug each other tightly. They didn’t let go for several minutes, and it made something inside of Adrien squeeze painfully as he thought of his own mother.

How would he react if he ever saw her again? Would she react as intensely as Nadja at seeing him after so long?

Nadja finally pulled back, but continued to gently clutch her daughter close to her.

“Thank you, you three, for doing what you could while all that superpower business was going on.”

Alya, who stood on the other side of Marinette, bashfully smiled and said, “I couldn’t do much.”

Marinette put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It was more than we could do. We were trapped in ice from the very beginning! I think Manon felt very safe with you up until you-know-what happened.”

Manon nodded enthusiastically. “Thanks for telling me stories, Unicorn Fairy girl!”

Adrien just raised an eyebrow at that.

“I don’t think I’ll make it back to work today, so I’ll come with to pick up Manon’s things from Marinette’s place and we’ll head home,” Nadja told them.

“Sure thing, Mrs. Chamack,” Marinette said.

The group began to head across the street when Vincent came running up to them.

“I finally found you,” he exclaimed to Adrien.

“Oh, sorry about that, Vincent,” Adrien said, maybe a tad unapologetic. “But Ladybug does her job well and any damage done was completely fixed.”

Vincent waved it away with a hand. “Oh, we all know that by now. Your father called immediately after the danger was over and said we must resume the photoshoot.”

Adrien’s face fell. He should’ve expected it.

Marinette hung back while the others continued to the bakery. “Wanna try and skip out?” she asked him quietly so Vincent couldn’t hear.

He gave her an unconvincing smile. “I’ll be fine. Might as well get it over with. Let me know if anything comes up, okay?”

Marinette stared at him in concern before reluctantly stepping back. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”

Waving goodbye to his best friend, Adrien vaguely wondered what it would be like to escape from under his father’s thumb one day. It would be a messy ordeal for sure, but no doubt a freeing one.

…

Alya had to head home first to do her own share of babysitting, so that left Marinette alone to say goodbye to Manon while her mother received some comfort from Tom and Sabine down in the bakery.

“I’m really sorry I couldn’t protect you, Manon,” Marinette said softly. She petted Manon’s hair. “Were you scared?”

Manon shook her head. “I don’t really remember what happened.”

Marinette frowned. “That’s right. You were…asleep…while everything happened, weren’t you?”

Nodding her head, Manon then said excitedly, “Yeah, but when I woke up, you were carrying me and swinging around the buildings up high like the superheroes in the comics!”

Marinette smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed—” She froze.

“Wha—what did you say?”

“I wanna be just like you and kick bad guy butt when I grow up!”

“Whaaaaat? I’m not Ladybug! Who said I was Ladybug?!”

Manon peered at Marinette’s panicked face eagerly. “You _are_ Ladybug!”

Marinette glanced at the corner of the room where Tikki was half hidden. She could only imagine what the kwami was thinking now.

“Ma-Manon…” She crouched down to the girl’s height. “ _If_ I am Ladybug, then you have to promise me that you’ll tell nobody about it, okay? It’s a superhero secret!”

“Ooooh.” Manon went starry-eyed. “Then can I tell anyone that your boyfriend is Chat Noir?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Marinette yelled exasperatedly.

“Can I?”

Marinette slapped a hand to her face. “Ugh. No, Manon. You can’t tell anyone that my _friend, Adrien,_ is Chat Noir. _If_ he’s a superhero too, then that’s also a superhero secret.”

“Ohhh,” Manon gasped, “okay.”

“Everything all finished up here?”

Nadja’s voice had Marinette falling on her face at the scare. “Just peachy, Mrs. Chamack!”

“All done, Mommy!”

“Good. We’ll head out then. Thank you again, Marinette.”

Lifting her head from the floor, Marinette waved. “See you later.” She looked at Manon pointedly. “Remember to be a good girl, Manon.”

Manon giggled. “Okay, Ladybug!”

Marinette practically had an aneurysm.

Nadja simply laughed as she carried Manon down the stairs. She shut the floor hatch behind her.

Silence.

Marinette felt her eye twitch.

Tikki floated down in front of her, face unreadable.

“At least Plagg will think it’s hilarious?” Marinette tried.

Tikki frowned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was only halfway through writing this chapter that I thought it would be hilarious if Manon was the first to find out. I can't tell you exactly how she figured it out, especially since I didn't write it out. I'm also only starting to try and work actual fights into my writing because that's one of my biggest difficulties. I have so many more prompts left for this that I'm sure I'll get around to it in this particular story. For Stormy Weather, just assume that most of the fight remained the same, but with a hostage on site.


	9. Day Nine: Birthday Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While a certain boy has a birthday to celebrate, a certain author has a college graduation to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s right, dear readers. I have emerged from the depths of work and school to grace you with my writing once again. (Instead of, you know, finding a job.)

Adrien went through his morning routine in a stupor. His mind was occupied by the current situation he and Marinette were in, in which a _five year old_ knew their secret. 

His daze was only broken while he was robotically brushing his teeth when Plagg shoved a wedge of Camembert in his face. 

“Happy Birthday, Adrien! I wrapped up this cheese just for you!” 

Dropping his toothbrush so he could pinch his nose closed, Adrien waved Plagg away. “Ugh, right. My birthday. Uh, you can have the cheese, Plagg, but I appreciate the gesture.” 

“And I appreciate more cheese for me!” the kwami exclaimed happily before devouring the cheese whole. “So,” he continued with his mouth full, “what are the plans for today? You humans like to throw parties, right?” 

Adrien shrugged nonchalantly as he resumed brushing his teeth. “Probably same as last year. My dad isn’t a big fan of birthday parties.” 

“Oh? Why not? Sounds like an occasion for lots of food.” 

“Eh. I wouldn’t know. Can’t remember the last time I was at any birthday parties. All I really expect today is another fancy pen from my father.” 

When Adrien finished up his routine some minutes later, he noticed that Plagg had gone uncharacteristically quiet. If he wasn’t complaining about “pointless humans and their pointless habits” or serenading his food, he was either chomping on Camembert, snoring, or making a racket by knocking over Adrien’s belongings. Upon walking out of the bathroom, it took a few seconds for Adrien to spot his kwami settled in the middle of the foosball table, one of his favorite places in Adrien’s room. 

“Plagg? Is everything alright?” 

Plagg was turned away from him with his little arms crossed. Turning his head slightly to peek at Adrien, Plagg stammered out, “It’s not like I like you or anything like that! If anything, I feel sorry for you! N-no other reason at all!” 

A little exasperatedly, Adrien asked, “Plagg, what are you talking about?” 

Instead of answering, the kwami flew up and flung a small object at Adrien with a “Here!” before zooming away. 

Luckily, Adrien caught it in his hand before it could smack him in the face. Opening his fist, he looked down to see a small black magatama resting on his palm. It was shiny and possessed a sort of mystic glow to it, but only if he stared at it real hard. “Uh…” He held it up to get a better look. “What is this?” 

Plagg’s muffled voice came from somewhere on the other side of the room. “It’s your present. Now shut up and be grateful about it!” 

Adrien was speechless. 

Here he was, getting ready for another normal day, not expecting much just because it was his birthday, and someone actually went and _got_ something for him. Delivered it to him _themselves_ even. 

Rushing over to his laundry hamper, Adrien dug through all the dirty clothes until he found his kwami. 

“Plagg…thank you.” 

Floating up, Plagg tried to wave it off. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I expect double the amount of cheese today. Do you know how exhausting it is for a being of destruction to create something?” 

“You _made_ this?!” 

He didn’t care how much Plagg complained about it. Adrien wasn’t going to shut up about this for weeks. 

… 

“Ha ha! I’m on time today! Early even!” Marinette cheered triumphantly as she stood before Alya and Nino at the front steps of the school. “Not even a hair out of place!” 

Alya and Nino indulged her with light applause. 

“I’ve only known you for like a week and I think the first day of school was the only time you made it before the first bell,” Alya commented. 

Nino chuckled and shook his head. “Ever since we were little, Dudette’s built up this reputation of being late so our teachers don’t even bother to scold her anymore.” 

“Except for Mendeliev,” Alya reminded. 

Marinette winced. 

“Hey, so Marinette, did you have any plans for Adrien today?” Nino asked, changing the subject. 

It took Marinette a moment, before she understood what Nino was getting at. 

“Oh! You’re talking about Adrien’s birthday, right?” At Nino’s nod, she continued excitedly, “It’s really short notice, but we can probably throw together a little party for him. I know Adrien and Alya are really new to the class, but we should invite them all anyway. I also have a present I made for him that I wanted to surprise him with when he got here!” 

Nino gave her a thumbs up. “Right on, dude.” 

“Speak of him and he shall appear,” Alya said, motioning them to look at the car that had just arrived in front of the school. 

Marinette screamed. 

“I forgot his present in my room!!” 

Alya facepalmed. “Why am I not surprised?” 

“I don’t think you have enough time to get it,” Nino added. “Here he comes.” 

“Hey guys,” Adrien greeted as he walked up to them. He exchanged a fist bump with Nino stepping closer to Marinette to stand beside her, completely unaware of her turmoil. “What’s new?” 

“It’s your birthday happy!” Marinette all but shouted at his face. 

“Happy birthday, Adrien. Feeling old yet?” 

“Happy birthday, bro!” 

Adrien smiled wide. “Thanks! And, I don’t know, fifteen isn’t all that old, is it?” 

Nino shook his head and threw an arm around Adrien’s shoulders. He began to give Adrien a lecture about something or other. Marinette couldn’t tell what it was about because she was too busy panicking in her own mind. 

“Hey, Marinette, is something wrong?” Alya whispered to her while the boys were distracted. “I’ve never seen you react like that to Adrien before.” 

“It’s just,” Marinette struggled to get out, “I wanted to give Adrien the gift I made for him as soon as I saw him today because, from what I’ve learned about him, he doesn’t have that many people in his life who care for him. I think? I don’t want to be presumptuous, but from an outsider’s point of view, I wouldn’t put it past his father to be a completely uncaring asshole. It would have made Adrien so happy to get a gift at all I’m sure, and that’s just so sad to think about!” She was on the verge of tears on behalf of the boy she cared so much for. 

“Whoa whoa, hey, girl, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Alya soothed. “I think what matters most here is that you made him something at all. If you just wait until after school to stop by your place, you can give him the gift later. He’ll still love it.” 

Marinette sucked her tears back in and nodded. “Y-you’re right. I’m getting ahead of myself. Plus, we still have to figure out a way to organize an impromptu party for him.” She stiffened her upper lip and held up a fist. “We’re going to make this the best goddamn birthday party he’s ever had!” 

Chuckling at her friend’s antics, Alya patted her on the shoulder and agreed. 

***

The school day passed by without much excitement, though a few people did give Adrien birthday wishes. 

He knew it was an unreasonable expectation, but he couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed that of all people, Marinette hadn’t given much more than a “Happy birthday” to him, strange as it was. It became weirder as he noticed the multiple times throughout the day when she would leave his side to discuss some private matters with their various classmates. 

Was there a group project that he wasn’t aware of? Or maybe Marinette was really good friends with everyone and it just took her some time to bond with them again? 

Whatever the case was, Adrien was too scared to ask. 

The odd highlight of his day was when Chloe approached him at the end classes. Behind her was Sabrina who was carrying a wrapped box that was almost too large for her to carry. 

“Happy birthday, Adrikins!” Chloe exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. A bit surprised, he hugged her back. 

“Thanks, Chlo.” 

She released him and stepped back. “I commissioned the best sculptor in all of Paris to create a bust of yours truly. You can place it in your room and always think of me.” 

Unsure of how to respond, Adrien just thanked his childhood friend again and accepted the box from Sabrina, mentally applauding her strength when he realized how heavy it actually was. 

Chloe tossed her hair and ordered Sabrina to follow as they left for the hotel. 

Nino came by and whistled. 

“I almost want to be impressed by how shameless she is.” 

Shaking his head, Adrien replied, “You and me both.” 

“So anyway, what do you think about having a smashing party at your place? This year you’ve got lots of friends who’ll come over and we can have lots of fun.” 

Adrien grimaced. “That sounds great, but…I don’t think my father would approve. He’d kick everyone off the property before you even reach the front doors.” 

Nino, who was by then joined by Marinette and Alya, could only gape in disbelief. 

“Wait,” Alya interjected. “What have you done for your birthdays in the past? Not calling you out or anything, but you literally only had one friend growing up so birthday parties couldn’t have been all that great. Why can’t your dad let you have one now?’ 

Adrien shrugged and adjusted his grip on the box. “I get a meal that’s nicer than usual. And a fancy pen from my father.” 

Marinette frowned. “Adrien—” 

She was cut off by the arrival of the boy’s car. 

“Sorry,” he said, smiling apologetically to his friends, “I’ve got a photoshoot.” His bodyguard opened the door for him and took the box off his hands. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Call you later, Princess.” 

As the car drove away, Marinette collapsed right there on the sidewalk. 

“Sometimes I wonder if he’s purposely making me feel guilty.” 

“Don’t give up now, dude, I’ve got a plan,” Nino insisted. 

Looking at the boy who seemed oddly fired up, Marinette and Alya raised their eyebrows before sending questioning looks to each other. 

… 

“No.” 

Of all the daydreams Marinette has had of her first meeting with her fashion idol Gabriel Agreste, she’d never have thought that to be his first word to her. 

She glanced at Nino, looking very out of place standing in the Agreste Manor’s modern but high-class foyer, and decided she’d cut him off when she saw him open his mouth to protest. 

“Mr. Agreste, may I ask why you are so opposed to letting Adrien celebrate his _birthday_ of all things?” 

The man responded immediately, as if he had anticipated the question. “I am not required to answer to any juveniles.” 

“Please, sir, I just want to understand.” It frustrated Marinette to remain respectful and not scream her head off. 

“All you need to understand is that I know what is best for my son, and in this case, it is to prevent situations in which he may encounter bad influences.” 

“Dude, that totally doesn’t make any sense!” 

Marinette grimaced at Nino’s outburst. Though she did agree with him, that may have not been the best reaction. She almost didn’t notice Adrien walk through the front doors. 

Gabriel frowned. “And it looks like you are the exact sort of influence I was afraid of. You are no longer welcome in my house. Leave.” 

“Nino? Marinette? What’s going on?” Adrien stepped towards them with with a concerned look. 

Noting Nino’s shocked expression, Marinette turned back to the unyielding man. “Fine. So you won’t let Adrien have a birthday party. That’s totally fine. And you know why?” 

Gabriel just looked on unamusedly, but he didn’t necessarily tell her to shut up. Nino and Adrien looked on, enraptured. 

“Because birthdays can be celebrated many different ways, as long as the birthday person knows they are loved and cherished. We don’t have to throw a party for Adrien, but we sure as heck are going to shower him in gifts and spend as much time with him as we can to let him know we are grateful that he’s in our lives. We’ll hope for many more birthdays with him and maybe, one day, we’ll even throw that birthday party that you’re so dead set against!” 

The foyer was silent for a long moment. 

Marinette began to sweat nervously, but she wasn’t going to take her words back. As a matter of fact, she was going to go one step further into the fire. 

“Did you even remember your own son’s birthday?” 

Gabriel’s jaw clenched so hard she could see the tension in his face despite how far apart they stood. 

“Apparently you, young lady, are the worst influence of them all. Leave my house immediately before I have you thrown out.” 

No one said anything more as a blank-stared Marinette and gobsmacked Nino left. 

When the gates swung shut behind them, Nino let out a long breath. 

“Holy shit, dude, you really said that to him!” he harshly whispered, as if what happened in the manor was a dirty secret. 

Marinette nodded her head dazedly. “I did.” 

They began to walk back to the bakery where Alya agreed to wait for them. 

“Aw man, what do we do now? We wanted to throw a party today at the park and we managed to get a yes from the whole class. You even invited Chloé and she agreed! Now the birthday boy isn’t even gonna show!” 

Marinette smiled secretively. “That’s what Mr. Agreste will think. What he doesn’t know though…” she trailed off, knowing Nino would figure it out. 

It took him a second, but he began to chuckle. “Didn’t think the dude was the type to sneak out, but hey, I’m not judging!” He quickly sobered up. “But, Marinette, what about your present? That robotic assistant lady still has it.” 

Marinette froze. “Oh no, you’re right! She’s probably going to throw it away!” 

“Adrien may be able to sneak out of that massive place, but I don’t think we can figure out how to sneak _in_. At least, not today. Let’s keep heading back and whenever Adrien shows up, you can ask him about it.” 

Marinette chewed her lip. Little did Nino know, she could easily sneak into the manor and find the gift. But with him accompanying her back home, she was in a tight spot. Eventually, she agreed with him and they continued on their way. 

***

Hawkmoth scowled. He was certain that the girl would have been the perfect target for his akuma that day. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he underestimated her emotional stability. 

Her anger was palpable during the confrontation with Gabriel, more so than that of her hooligan friend. But now neither of them held negative feelings that were strong enough for him to latch onto and manipulate into his control. 

Letting his transformation drop, Gabriel decided he would try for an akuma on another day. For now he would make plans. 

A voice in the back of his mind asked if he should be spending the day with his son. 

Gabriel mentally waved those concerns aside. He already ordered Nathalie to handle it. As long as Adrien received a gift that he believed was from his father, the boy shouldn’t make too much of a fuss. 

(And really, this wasn’t the first—nor will it be the last—of many mistakes Gabriel will make in the months to come. 

He’s a man willing to do anything to bring back his lost loved one. Too late will he realize that “anything” could mean losing another.) 

*** 

Adrien was conflicted. 

He lifted one end of the scarf wrapped around his neck, rubbing the soft fabric with his thumb. 

According to Nathalie, it was a gift from his father. And considering Adrien had never seen a piece like this before in any of his father’s collections, he’d have to assume that his father had also made it personally for Adrien. 

His heart swelled with the thought but his chest constricted with unwilling suspicion. Adrien couldn’t remember the last time his father gave him a meaningful gift, much less one that he made himself. Not to mention, Marinette called the man out earlier on pretty much forgetting his birthday in the first place. 

He wondered… 

As he neared the park that Marinette had texted him to walk to, said girl spotted him from a distance and immediately ran over. 

“Adrien!” she exclaimed, smiling broadly. “So you _did_ get my present! I thought for sure your dad’s assistant would’ve thrown it away. Guess she isn’t so bad after all.” 

Ah, of course. 

Adrien shook his head and chuckled to himself. 

“Adrien…?” 

He smiled softly at his best friend. “It’s nothing, Mari. I’m just really thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for the scarf.” 

He could get used to Marinette blushing just like that because of him. 

“Well, you see—but it’s not _that_ big a deal—I mean, me too! To you! Thanks! Because of course I—“ 

Ignoring her fumbling words, Adrien grabbed her hand and led her back to the entrance of the park. 

“Now let’s go see what kind of awesome party you set up for me.” 


End file.
